The Hunt for the Dark Ones
by DestinyAurora
Summary: The war of the living versus the dead is over, but the battle is far from won. When Skeleton King escapes into the cosmos to bring back the other dark ones from the other planets, it's up to the Hyperforce to stop him; but will they get a little help?
1. Prologue

_The war of the living versus the dead is over, but the battle is far from won. When Skeleton King escapes into the cosmos to bring back the other dark ones from the other planets, it's up to the Hyperforce to stop him; but will they get a little help? _

Destiny: I'm actually really excited about this one.

Chiro: Same here. Wow, that's a first.

Destiny: I didn't want to do the whole war. I'll save that for whoever or whenever.

Chiro: This is in the style of what a SRMTHFG movie would be. Detective Aurora has thought of what she already knew of Shuggazoom and my past. In other words, Destiny has found a past for me that she likes completely and will probably stick to from now on, except for a few occasions.

Destiny: Precisely, my good monkey boy. I've been working on this story for a little while over summer and will start posting it now to apologize for not updating as originally planned. Apparently, I'm busier in the summer. Go figure. As for Guardian Hearts fans, I only need the fight scene and then it's as good as done, pretty much. I have nothing to say for Forgotten though. It's completely my fault. :(

Both: SRMTHFG doesn't belong to Destiny/me!

Every italicized paragraph switches from a teenage male's and a teenage female's voice in this 'chapter'. It starts out male. The last paragraph is both.

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><p><em>Many years ago… It started with a prophecy. An alchemist had combined both magic and science to create the perfect team; the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force. Together, they would one day protect the city of Shuggazoom, and perhaps, the cosmos.<em>

_There was an accident… and the man was corrupted by an ancient evil; the Dark Ones. The Alchemist did everything in his power to prepare six cybernetic monkeys. As he worked, his corruption spread, causing him to change. The monkeys' memories were erased so they'd only know of the creature he soon became; Skeleton King._

_The monkeys fought their master and won, driving him far back into the cosmos._

_According to prophecy, their leader turned; his heart colder as he was driven mad with power. He went against his brothers and sister, only to be sent away._

_Without a leader, the remaining monkeys went into hibernation to await the one fit to be their new leader; the Chosen One._

_One hundred years soon went by and the Chosen One revealed himself; a human boy gifted with the Power Primate._

_The planet of Shuggazoom, last hope of refuge, is now at war against the boned king._

_It's a war of the living versus the undead._

_Their story is not over, it has only begun. Heroes frozen in time in an endless battle with have their stories told. A new battle will start once again, but the war will be over._

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><p><strong>Please read and review! :3<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

Destiny: If I didn't know certain character's names, I made them up. I'll point out who it is though and you guys can ask if not sure and what not…

Chiro: She doesn't own us.

Destiny: One more thing I MUST rant—

Chiro: Here we go.

Destiny: Disney, or whoever, there are a lot of bad and lame shows on television. You guys left one of the good ones at a cliffhanger when you removed it. Sure, there are fanfiction writers with theories, but that's not my point. My point is… why would you get rid of a show in the middle of a climax? There are many people out there, including me, who want to see the finish. So please, at least make a movie, season 5, or something that shows us what happens.

Chiro: I have to agree with that one. Destiny only owns the story and the OCs.

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><p>Chiro landed in the middle of a swarm of hundreds of formless. All around him, allies were fighting in the long battle of life versus death.<p>

_I was exploring the outskirts of the city, I discovered an abandoned Super Robot…_

His head was lowered and shadowed for a moment, but then he tilted it up, smirking. Charging forward, he released a green ball of energy from his palms, destroying the creatures that were hit instantly.

_It was then; my life was transformed by the mysterious Power Primate._

Chiro slid back in the opposite direction after another attack and looked over across the wave of monsters.

_The robot monkeys were awakened and I, Chiro, made their leader…_

Nova and Sprx were charging together, working with a combination of Boom Boom Wake Up and Magnotingler Blast. Together, their formless were exploding constantly.

Gibson and Antauri were back to back, attacking with claws and drills in another Double Monkey Attack.

Otto was slashing his formless with his green saws, working together with some of the cat warriors there.

_Our quest; save Shuggazoom City from the evils of the Skeleton King._

Chiro kept fighting, but looked over to see Skeleton King commanding his minions. An evil glare was plastered on his face and he was staring over to the boy. Mandarin had just jumped off and was charging through the mass towards the opposing side.

"It's hard to believe only a year has passed since then," Chiro muses quietly out loud. He then narrowly dodges a large axe that swung down at him.

Another one came from behind when he wasn't looking. It raised its blade, but was blasted away in a red light.

Chiro turned to see his girlfriend, Jinmay, land behind him. "You've got to watch what's happening around you," she playfully scolded.

Chiro launched a Chiro Spearo at a formless behind her. "Right back at you," he replied, grinning.

"Less flirting, more fighting," Sprx called out, passing by.

Both teens blushed then continued. This time, they met to help Antauri who just blocked an energy sword from Mandarin.

Hours later, the side of the living was worn. Many warriors have been sent to the Sick Bay… or worse. The formless were thinning out, but it looked like this battle was lost.

Chiro had called a retreat and everyone was now within into the barricade that had been put up when the war started. A little ways off from the Super Robot, many tents were spread across the ground. Warriors were spread around the encampment; either on the lower levels of the secured buildings (mainly), the ground, or even the Super Robot. Most citizens were even within the hidden fortress.

Inside the Super Robot, Antauri stood in front of the leaders of the other groups of allies that have joined the war to talk over a meeting. The silver monkey wore a solemn expression on his face. Who wouldn't? The truth was, the living weren't, well, many weren't living any more. The Hyperforce and its allies were fighting a losing battle.

Inside the room, the leaders of the cat warriors (Nekeeta and her brother, Kolya) were in Antauri's chair, Chiro in his, Super Quasar in Nova's, Suupa in Gibson's, etc… there was only one missing.

Earlier today… Captain Shuggazoom had died.

"I'm afraid we can't last much longer," Antauri said, his voice heard clearly across the dead silence in the room. "Some of our best fighters are either in various sick bays too injured to stand or they're… dead." At the last word, his voice cracked. Captain Shuggazoom's death had a large impact on everyone.

"We need to do something," Nekeeta continued, "This war's outcome… the fate of the cosmos depends on our survival, our victory."

"I know," Antauri replied.

"We're running out of supplies," Super Quasar added, "If this was doesn't end in our favor, we'll all be dead either way."

Antauri nodded, closing his eyes.

"So what's the plan," Kolya asked.

"We will turn to plan Omega," Antauri replied. Just as his eyes opened, everyone nodded and turned to Chiro, who had no idea what was happening.

"Uhh… Why are you guys looking at me looking at me like that," he asked, "What's plan Omega?" Whatever it was, he didn't like the sound of it.

"Tomorrow," Antauri said, "We are taking the citizens of Shuggazoom to another planet, including you."

Chiro's eyes widened. "WHAT!"

"We must ensure you are safe, Chiro," Nekeeta continued a bit louder and hastier.

Chiro wouldn't hear of it. He was already up and running out of the robot.

Those left looked at each other sadly.

"I knew he'd take it hard," came a comment from Suupa.

Antauri nodded grimly. "He must understand," he said, his voice now turning a bit darker, "If all else fails, he MUST survive."

Chiro exited the foot of the robot and walked along the sidewalks away from the large cluster of tents in the middle of the street. His head was down, staring at the ground as he walked. As he was leaving the robot, he had run into three of the others who had all called out his name. He had never responded.

His foot had come across a stray can and he kicked it. There was a pain in is heart as he did. _"This brings back memories,"_ he thought sadly. His eyes showed pain as he continued.

Eventually he stopped. Being a fair distance away from all of the tents, he went to sit down against the wall of some currently abandoned building. As he sat, he drew his legs up to bury his head in. He then gripped his head. He just sat there like that grieving, mourning, and remembering.

Footsteps were then heard before Otto's voice asked cheerily, "How're ya doing, Chiro?" When Chiro didn't respond, Otto asked a bit sadder, "Hey, Chiro, what's wrong?"

Chiro looked up to see Otto looking down at him with his broken left arm in a white cast and sling. As he ran the fingers on his right hand through his hair, he looked up at the sky and sighed.

Otto frowned to see the pain in his friend and leader's distant blue eyes. He then knew what had happened. "Plan Omega," Otto then asked in a hushed voice.

Chiro looked at the green monkey and nodded. "You knew," Chiro asked.

Otto nodded, now looking towards the ground for a second before back at the boy. "Only the others and I were told, really." (By this, he means the monkey team.)

Jinmay was then seen walking up to them, looking sadly at the two. "Flynt has just passed away," she stated numbly to them, her eyes glazed. (Flynt is one of Mobius Quint's crew.) She snapped out of it when the two didn't respond. "Hey, what's wrong," she asked, kneeling down on the left side of her boyfriend while Otto was on the right.

"Tomorrow, Antauri plans to send Chiro away."

Jinmay looked at Chiro and gave him the best thing she could at the moment; a big hug. "It will be okay," she reassured, "Let's get back to the robot and get some sleep."

Chiro nodded and stood up to follow the two who were now holding his hands.

All throughout the night, Chiro tossed and turned in his bed. He couldn't fall asleep at all, knowing what would come the next day. After a while of closing his eyes, they suddenly snapped open.

"I know what I have to do," Chiro said quietly.

As silent as he could, he snuck outside of the robot and into a dark alley. Behind a dumpster, he transformed into his Hypermode. When he stepped out, he gave one last look at the Super Robot, and then walked off towards Skeleton King's fortress.

He stopped one more time on the end of the bridge he was on to look back at the city.

"Goodbye," he whispered, before stepping onto the cold lifeless soil of the outskirts. He glared ahead at the castle as sunlight was peaking above the horizon and said slightly louder, "Skeleton King, here I come."

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><p><strong>Reviews are welcomed. Do not flame. All flamers shall be hunted by Gyrus Krinkle and GabbyAgni (from Curse of the Fan Girl).**


	3. Chapter 2

Destiny: Before any of you ask; 1. I don't own SRMTHFG and 2. Skeleton King IS a creeper.

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><p>Inside Skeleton King's fortress, Chiro was hiding up high in the shadows. He watched as a group of formless marched past and then disappeared. "<em>I have to do this,"<em> he thought, _"I can't let anyone else die because of me."_

An image of a boy and girl similar to him flashed through his head. The boy was grinning, looking back at him while running, and the girl was holding out her hand, smiling as she ran.

He jumped off the ledge he was on, silently landing and running to the other side of the hall. He was right next to the throne room.

From where he was, he could see only Skeleton King and Mandarin, talking.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Chiro Spearo!"

Antauri's eyes immediately snapped open when he finally felt the absence of Chiro from the city. "No," he gasped. He was then up and running through the dark hallway.

At the sound of his clanking feet, the other monkeys awoke. "Chiro has run away," Antauri exclaimed to them as he ran to the command center.

They were all wide awake at the news and followed.

When Antauri and the others got there, they found Jinmay in there with the Sun Riders.

Jinmay looked over when they came down and nodded sadly.

"Why would the kid do this," Sprx asked.

"He obviously has a big heart," Aurora commented.

"Still, why would he leave us like this?"

"We all knew he would pull something like this. He's done it before," Nova pointed out, "It was only a matter of time before he did it again."

Otto nodded. "He doesn't want anyone else to get hurt. Captain Shuggazoom's and the others' deaths must have hit him the hardest."

"How about we quit standing here and do something," Sprx then shouted.

Super Quasar nodded. "We'll watch the city. You guys go after him."

The six of them flew on their rocket packs to the fortress. Many formless were found on patrol, but none seemed to notice them.

"How could the kid get past all these guys," Sprx whispered.

The others only shrugged.

"Wait," Antauri spoke, "They're not moving."

"He's right," Nova commented, "Is that a bad sign?"

Antauri only shook his head. "I have no clue."

They landed inside the fortress and ran along the halls. Not once have they found another formless on their way. They followed the only noise that echoed through the structure; fighting. All around them, pieces of the bone palace fell occasionally.

They then came to a stop at the entrance, horrified at what they saw.

The room had blood scattered here and there. Chiro was surrounded by the Power Primate Ape, but flung into a wall just as they came in. When he had got up, they could see his clothes shredded and various injuries all over.

They turned to see that Skeleton King wasn't looking any better. He too was hurt badly.

Both fighters were breathing hard.

"Chiro," they finally called out, finding their voices.

Chiro spun around in shock to face them, but with hit with another attack. He then faced Skeleton King again and continued fighting.

Skeleton King used his newly acquired powers to hold them back by putting up a wall.

They listened and watched as the two fought. Both were evenly matched. Then, it happened.

Chiro launched a successive blow on Skeleton, making him slide back a few feet.

Both were breathing harder, exhausted.

Chiro went in for the final blow, but Skeleton King dodged, chuckling weakly as he said, "If you kill me, boy, you will never know of your parents." He was playing his cards.

Chiro growled angrily. "You don't know anything about my parents," he said, "They were good people who'd never have anything to do with you. Leave them out of this!" He continued fighting, ignoring what Skeleton King said.

From the sidelines, the others could only blink in surprise at Chiro's defensiveness… all except for Gibson.

Gibson put a hand on his chin, the gears spinning in his head. "Does that have to do with him having all of Chiro's old things," he muttered.

The others, who had heard, spun to face him.

"He has Chiro's stuff," Sprx exclaimed. Just as they turned back to watch the fight, Sprx coughed, "Stalker."

After Chiro lands another hit, Skeleton King comments, "You'll always be weak, just like your brother."

Everyone blinked in surprise.

Chiro growled, getting even angrier. He was beginning to lose focus and was blindly attacking.

"Ah yes, your brother," Skeleton King continued, smirking, "As I recall, he had died quite a gruesome death."

Chiro stumbled a bit, his eyes showing fear as he remembered that day.

_A small boy cowered in fear as shadows on the wall showed another boy getting beaten._

He was immediately brought out of his thoughts when Skeleton King hit him. Chiro shook his head as he shivered from the quick memory flash.

Skeleton King grinned. "He was stabbed and cut as you watched," he said, "You didn't do anything as he was punched in the stomach and his ribs were snapped…"

Chiro froze, his eyes wide. As Skeleton King continued talking, he fell to his knees and gripped his head, not wanting to relive the memory.

The others were in an even bigger shock.

Skeleton King continued. "You just watched as Hiroshi was in pain. You were and will always be weak and pathetic. He was grabbed from behind and—"

"STOP IT," Chiro cried out. He transformed into the great ape and attacked him. His powers were even stronger as the adrenaline kicked in and his anger surged. Chiro's eyes were glossed and he was on the brink of tears. "STOP IT!"

As he went in to attack once more, Skeleton King smirked. "Kill me," he said one more time, "and you'll never know where your sister is."

Chiro froze once more.

"Yes, boy. I know everything about you and her especially. I know where she is and I will go after her." Skeleton King then took the opportunity to strike Chiro again.

The boy was thrown hard into another wall.

Chiro staggered as he tried to stand, the ape around him having disappeared. His head was facing down. "Twilight's been missing for nearly six years," he then shouted, quickly looking back at Skeleton King and going back into the ape mode.

Both lunge and lock hands, trying to push the other back.

"I couldn't do anything to protect Hiro; he knew that," Chiro continued, "He wanted me to stay out of it. He wanted me to take Twilight and run."

Chiro blocked a punch. "As for my parents, they would never be associated with the likes of you!"

Chiro was hit hard in the head and slid back.

"And whatever you're selling," Chiro then finished, "I'm not buying!"

Both went in to attack again.

After a while, Chiro was then punched in the face. As he slid back, he looked to Antauri, who nodded.

"Monkey Fu!"

Chiro launched and extremely powerful Monkey Fu at Skeleton King and slid back. Skeleton King then stumbled, leaning on his staff, and then fled.

Chiro swayed a bit, blackness clouding his vision. Just as the wall came down and the others ran to him, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he then collapses into unconsciousness.

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><p><strong>Press the button. Press it. Press it and enjoy cookies... Please Review! :3<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

Antauri: Attention readers, Destiny will be busy for a few weeks and may not be able to write. She would also like to say that a sequel to Game War may happen, Curse of the Fan Girl may be saved thanks to a reviewer as well as have three other sequels, Forgotten and Guardian Hearts may possibly be posted soon because the chapters are almost completed, and In The Dark has only one chapter possible to be worked on because of missing plans.

Chiro: Destiny doesn't own us.

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><p>His vision was blurry when he finally opened his eyes again. His head felt like he was several feet underwater and he couldn't tell what was going on. Six blurs were over him; they were red, yellow, green, pink, blue, and black.<p>

The last thing he heard were garbled shouts of 'Chiro' before blackness surrounded him once again.

It felt like an eternity before his eyes opened again.

Chiro looked around the room feeling confused and numb. He tried moving his head, but his body was stiff. "Huh," he said quietly. The word scratched his throat and he coughed.

Chiro then sat up and looked around, only to feel another dizzy spell and fall back. He half-heartedly chuckled. "Not my best idea."

As he went to hold his head, the door to the Sick Bay slid open. Gibson hobbled inside with Antauri floating next to him. Whatever they were talking about fell silent when they saw him awake. Gibson began to look at the computers while Antauri floated over to his leader's side.

"Chiro," he asked, his voice a little unsure

"Antauri," Chiro asked, "What's going on?"

Just as a smile spread across Antauri's face, Gibson's typing stopped. Chiro tilted his head to see he was smiling to.

"It's good to have you back," was his only comment before he left the room.

Chiro turned back to Antauri and asked once again, "What's going on? What happened?"

Antauri looked like he was about to cry. "Chiro," he said, keeping his composure, "You were fighting Skeleton King. You fainted after one of your attacks and Skeleton King has gone missing. You've been drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness for nearly two weeks."

Chiro's eyes widened. "Two weeks," he exclaimed weakly, "How— where is everyone?"

"You were awake," Antauri explained, "But not fully enough to register anything and not too long."

Chiro nodded.

"As for the others—"

"CHIRO!"

The Monkey Team and Jinmay burst through the door, but didn't tackle him (luckily). They did hug him, though.

"Chiro," Jinmay said after she gave him a peck on the cheek, "We missed you."

"Yeah kid, you were like a zombie," Sprx commented.

Chiro couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry…"

Nova didn't smack Sprx, yet, and turned to face Chiro. "How are you feeling?"

Chiro shrugged. "Fine, I guess. I'm still waking up and I feel really stiff, so, yeah."

Gibson nodded. "Understandable, you haven't moved in two weeks."

"So, how are you guys," Chiro asked.

They all gave a weak smile.

"Chiro," Antauri said, "There was a funeral held a two days after your fight with Skeleton King. We've lost so many in the war. The citizens have all helped make a memorial for them."

Chiro nodded sadly before asking, "Can I- Can I go and pay my respects?"

The others turned to Gibson, who sighed. "I suppose… Once you fully recover; like getting used to sitting up and walking."

Chiro pumped his fist into the air, causing the others to chuckle.

They then turned to leave, Antauri ushering them all out before saying, "We'll be right back with lunch."

Once they were out, Nova turned to Antauri and whispered, "When are we going to ask him?"

Antauri shook his head. "When he is ready, we will ask; not yet."

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><p><strong>Please Review, if I can at least 3, I'll post the next chapter when it's done.<strong>


	5. Chapter 4

Destiny: Here's the next chapter. I was going to give it to you guys free, even without 3 reviews, because I was proud to say that even with four chapters, this was read by many people. I guess now, never mind. I do NOT own SRMTHFG.

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><p>Weeks had soon passed by quickly since Chiro had woken up and things were quickly returning to normal. Summer had now come and was already in full throttle. It was soon decided that Chiro was well enough to visit the cemetery.<p>

So on this Saturday evening, after a day downtown, the group of seven was on their way to Shuggazoom Cemetery.

Chiro couldn't believe how much has changed since the war. Since Skeleton King was gone, all corruption previously placed on the planet was gone as well. The Savage Lands had returned to the beautiful forest if once was but more tropical, new forests have and are growing, and well, there's a lot of life outside the city instead of the once barren wasteland.

Everyone was holding some flowers they purchased; there were many blues, peaches, purples, whites, pinks, and burgundies.

They all walked in silence as they entered the cemetery. Many old and new tombstones stuck in the ground.

The monkeys led Chiro to a stone structure that stretched a ways and curved in an arch around a statue. It had many different names etched in a large darker slab. The statue itself was of a silver angel.

Chiro gaped at the many names. He walked up to the wall and placed his right hand on it. His fingers brushed the engraved letters as he walked. "Captain Shuggazoom," he muttered when he found his name, "Mobius Quint…"

Mobius Quint had died as a hero. He had made a sacrifice that killed him, but saved many who would've died otherwise. It ended in an explosion.

Chiro then froze after a while when he saw a certain name. "Adeline," he whispered in shock, "No…"

Antauri, who was the next in the line behind Chiro, looked up at the name. "Do you know her," he asked.

Chiro nodded numbly. "Adeline Margery, she was a sweet woman who took care of my siblings and me sometimes. She was also the first we opened up to after my parents passed away."

Another scene flashed through his mind.

_A little girl with shoulder length black hair was bawling as she clutched her left arm. Two boys were comforting her as a woman with dirty blonde hair in a bun and glistening blue eyes wrapped it gently, humming quietly as she worked._

"_Here you go, boys," she said softly with such tenderness, "Your sister is all better now."_

"_Thank you, Madame Margery," both of the boys said in unison, their crystal blue eyes sparkling with gratitude._

"_Oh please, call me Addie," the woman said before turning to the girl in the middle. "Now you be careful now. You must keep your arm like that for a while, you got that? I'll be checking up on you every now and then."_

_The girl sniffled, wiping away her tears with her other hand. "O-Okay, thank you."_

Everything fell silent at the news.

The monkeys placed their flowers around the angel statue as Jinmay placed a hand on Chiro's shoulder.

"Come on," she said, "Let's head back to the robot."

Chiro shook his head as he placed almost all of his flowers on the statue too. He turned to her and the others and said, "There's one thing I need to do."

With that, the Chosen One began walking through the field of tombstones, frowning at the many lives that were lost this year.

The others followed Chiro up a grassy hill to two crumbling limestone slabs were, a little ways off from the others. One small flower pot laid between both tombstones with forget-me-nots planted inside. In front of it was a small picture frame.

Chiro stopped at the two stones and placed the rest of his flowers, white orchids, in each side of the flower pot. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, surprised that someone else had been here.

Sprx hobbled up from behind the pack and read aloud, "Annabelle Lee Griffin; a loving mother and friend, 1969-1999. James Clark Griffin; a cherished father and son close to many, 1967-1999." He took a breath and looked up at Chiro. "Kid, who are those people?"

Chiro didn't reply. The others had looked to see he was staring off into the sky.

"Kid—"

"Ooh, I didn't know there were too Chiros," Otto suddenly commented.

Everyone turned to see Otto staring at the picture that was placed near the graves, holding it in his hands.

"Otto," Gibson scolded, "Put that back! That's very rude!"

Sprx yanked it out of the green monkey's hands, saying, "Hey, let me see!"

Gibson face palmed.

Nova walked up to the two and slapped them with her tail. "Do you know how inappropriate it is to take stuff like that," she said. She took the picture from Sprx, who was rubbing the spot he was hit, and was about to put it back when she blinked. "Wow, he's right," she exclaimed.

Chiro could only chuckle when he finally turned to see everybody staring at it.

Antauri finally pulled the picture away from the others and floated next to Chiro. "Who are all the people in the picture," he asked.

It was Chiro's turn to look at the picture and he was surprised. In the back were a man and a woman. The woman had long black hair that came down her back and light blue eyes. She was dressed in a long white sundress and had a floppy white sunhat on. She was smiling warmly at the camera. On her left, the man sat with her on a beach blanket, holding her hand. He had messy black hair and grey eyes lit up with excitement. In the front were three children posing, squished up together. Two identical boys were on each side of a girl. She had black hair down to her shoulders and had unusual eyes; her eyes were both a chilling grayish white. The three of them were grinning widely.

Chiro smiled a bit at the memory.

The others watched in confusion when he didn't answer.

Chiro looked at them and turned the picture around. Pointing to the man and woman in the back, he said, "These two are my parents; Annabelle and James Griffin."

The others blinked, turning back to look at the tombstones and back at him again.

"Y-Your parents," Sprx asked.

Chiro nodded sadly. "The year this was taken was the year they died. Months later, in September, they had died in a car accident. It was raining, a truck hit them."

When he saw the look in Chiro's eyes, Otto decided to change the subject by piping in, "What about the others?"

At this, Chiro chuckled. "It's rare in Shuggazoom for people to have twins," he said, "but even rarer to have triplets."

The others did a double take. "YOU"RE A TRIPLET," they exclaimed in shock.

Chiro chuckled again. "I'm proud to say I'm the oldest, followed closely by my brother. Only our family could tell us apart; that being our mom, our dad, but especially our sister."

"Um, which one are you," Jinmay asked, embarrassed that she couldn't tell. You can't really blame her; two mirror images in a picture, not real life.

Chiro pointed to the one on the girl's left. "This one's me, the other's Hiro." With that, he placed the picture back to the way it was then continued as he stood up again. "And the girl is my sister. I've always thought she was dead, but I'm not sure anymore. I think she put these here."

"How so," Antauri asked.

"Besides what Skeleton King had said, I know that her favorite flowers, besides those red and white roses, are forget-me-nots. She especially loved giving forget-me-nots to our parents when they were alive and when we visited here. I think it reminds her of them, like how she helped our mom in the garden."

He nodded then turned to the others. "We need to head back to the robot. It's getting dark."

Everyone nodded.

As they walked along the rocky path, and back onto the shadowed sidewalk, Nova turned to Chiro.

"What were they like," she asked quietly.

Chiro tilted his head to face her as he walked, it now being illuminated by the lamplight. "Hmm?"

"What was your family like," she asked once again.

Chiro turned back and thought for a moment. "I remember my mother was very sweet and caring," he said softly, "She would always sing to us when we were sad, or hurt, and even before bed. She had an amazing voice and would always sing us this one lullaby. She always had a calm air to her. My mom loved gardening and would always bring my sister out with her. She was also very active and supportive of whatever we liked to do. She'd even play silly games with my brother and me. My father was a writer and a college teacher, but pretty laid back. He was always pulling jokes and making us laugh. He had a way of making almost everything fun to do. He taught us to read and many other things. Our parents tended to spoil us."

"They sound nice," Otto commented.

Chiro nodded. "They were."

"What about your brother and sister," Gibson asked.

"Yeah," Jinmay added, "What were they like?"

Chiro gave a weak smile at the memory. "My brother, sister, and I were alike in so many ways. My brother, Hiroshi Gray Griffin, was very cheerful and energetic. He was like an open book and would always speak his mind. He was the most athletic and bold, but jumped into things more. We got in trouble a lot in our old orphanage, the one before the one I was in when we met. We'd constantly compete with and against each other in different activities like sports. Our sister, Twilight Bell Griffin, would always comment it was hard to keep up. We were also so much like a mirror and would do everything with our little sister. After our parents died, she was the only one who could tell us apart. You would hardly ever see us separated from each other. "

"And your sister," Antauri asked.

"Hiro and I loved babying Twilight. She was so shy and quiet, she was afraid to be away from us; to be alone by herself. She was only really confident around us when we were little. She used to have these big crocodile tears when she was sad. We always thought of her as the cute 'baby girl'. We'd play pretend and tea party with her just to be with her and see her smile. She used to have a pink room with stuffed animals, books, and tea sets. She hated the color pink though, except with her favorite rabbit stuffed animal."

Chiro paused to take a breath, just as Sprx began to snicker. Otto soon followed while Gibson and Antauri smirked.

"You, kid," Sprx commented, "Playing tea party? Pretend?"

Chiro stuck out his tongue.

"Whatever, we did everything with her, and she did everything with us. Whatever we did, she'd do it too. She enjoyed trying new things and learning. She was by far the most artistic and the smartest. She had a huge imagination."

Nova nodded.

Jinmay then asked, "Wait, you mentioned an old orphanage. What was that like?"

Chiro could only frown, his body visibly tensing as he walked. "That dirt hole cost Hiro his life," he growled. "It was a bad place with jerks and bullies picking on you, both the adults and kids. The three of us hated the place and tried to escape so many times. We've lived there for three to four years. They'd hurt people. We fought back many times. Twilight was the strongest on defiance. She was targeted on bullying a lot because of her attitude. We were too, but we protected her. It was Hiro's idea in the first place to fight back, mainly in protecting the younger kids. It was also his idea to runaway in the first place. On one of our attempts, he…" Chiro's voice faded, not wanting to continue that explanation.

Otto quickly changed the subject. "What happened to your sister?"

"After Hiro's… death, the orphanage was sued and went bankrupt. We were sent to the other one and it was hard to open up. A huge piece was missing from our trinity; him. Eventually, I did all of the talking because she refused to talk to anyone besides me in private. We were separated into different foster families later and grown apart. We had met again at that same orphanage, but we couldn't read each other like we used to be able to. At one point, I was stupid enough not to walk with her after I promised Hiro to always stay with her and she was kidnapped. I haven't seen her since."

Chiro didn't say anything else.

Antauri frowned. "It wasn't your fault," he reassured, "Nobody could have known that would happen and stopped it, not even you."

"I know," Chiro replied after a while, "I know that I couldn't have known or even stopped anything. It still doesn't, it still doesn't stop me from feeling guilty about it. Hiroshi told me to 'Run, run away Chiro while you still can! Take Twilight and run! Promise me you'll keep our baby sister safe and happy; make sure you always have her back! Go!' I promised him, but I let him down."

Jinmay frown as she walked by her boyfriend's side, sad to see him this way. With one fast motion, she pulled him into a hug before they could enter the robot.

"Chiro," she whispered in his ear, "I promise that Hiro would be proud of you now, knowing you did everything possible, to your greatest ability. I'm sure your sister is alive if you feel she is and doesn't blame you for anything. I'm sure she wants you to be happy, which makes her happy because you have friends willing to help you out." She then let go of her embrace and turned to the others and said, "We'll all look out for you, right guys?"

They all smiled brightly and nodded. "Right!"

Chiro smiled after a while. "T-thanks guy, it really, it really means a lot to me," he choked out.

Together, they walked inside the safety of the Super Robot.

"I don't know about you guys," Sprx said as they all walked to the tubes, "but I'm beat. I'm gonna call it a night."

"Agreed," Antauri stated, "It would be best for all of us to get a good night sleep."

Otto yawned, "Night guys, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" He then ran into his green tube.

Gibson shivered in fear; all thoughts of a good night sleep were temporarily wiped away, replaced by fear and disgust. "Otto," he cried. He then sighed. "Good night." He too then vanished up his own tube.

Nova uttered a soft 'sweet dreams' before kissing Sprx on the cheek. Of course we all know he'll have sweet dreams after that.

Sprx called out a good night to the others before running, and stumbling, towards his tube, a smile plastered on his face.

Antauri turned to Chiro and Jinmay, the only two left. "I suggest the two of you have a good rest. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he was gone, leaving out own 'Chinmay' couple alone… by themselves.

Both of them walked to the orange tube, hand in hand. They both shot up and to a new level of the robot.

When they landed, they turned to each other.

Jinmay gave Chiro a kiss on the lips, which they both deepened a bit. When they broke apart, Jinmay said softly to him, "Goodnight Chiro, I hope you have good dreams tonight. Your family would be proud of you."

Chiro smiled. "Thank you so much for everything, Jinmay. Goodnight."

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><p><strong>Please review, at least one each chapter maybe. Thank you.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Destiny: Here is your next chapter. I don't own anything but the story and the OCs. Also, always remember; never give a cybernetic monkey a banana. :3

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><p>"Chiro," a calm, silky voice bubbled into his head, "Chiro…"<p>

Chiro groaned as he opened his eyes, light immediately seeping into his vision. He got up and looked around, finding himself in a vast field with long green grass that seemed to stretch on forever. The sky above him was a bright blue with fluffy clouds high above him. White seemed to cloud a bit of his vision and it felt like he was moving through water.

Giggling was heard behind him so he turned, only to find no one. He turned back, only to come face to face with grayish white eyes that seemed to glow.

He jumped back, startled, causing the person in front of him to giggle again.

Chiro looked to see she was a girl his age, same height and everything. Her long black hair stretched to her knees and her eyes shown bright. She was pale and skinny. The girl also wore a long white sundress and was barefoot.

"T-Twilight," he asked, amazed.

The girl, Twilight, seemed to hold back a giggle, confusing Chiro.

Suddenly, Chiro found himself face first on the ground. He could hear Twilight bursting out of laughter. He tried to get up, but something held him down. With a strong push, Chiro broke free. Getting up, he turned to see a male like him in white robes and barefoot.

"Hiro?"

Neither one said a thing as they turned, running away in the distance, reverting to their younger forms he remembered; A small girl with chopped black hair in the same dress and a boy in his usual grey t-shirt and jeans.

Chiro blinked and ran after them, the world seeming to slow down as he ran. He swore he was running through a thick honey.

"Wait," he cried out as they were only a few feet ahead of him. He could feel himself turning younger, into his old blue outfit instead of his usual clothes. "Wait up! Hiro! Twilight!"

Twilight turned back to him, holding out a hand. "Come on, Chiro," she said, "Come with me! Hurry!"

She kept running and was getting farther away, but he could still hear her calling out 'come with me Chiro'.

Chiro's head turned to see Hiro getting farther away as well.

"Can't catch me," Hiroshi called out.

Both siblings disappeared in different directions over the horizon. Chiro made a quick choice of which and went left, to Hiro.

The scene changed as he ran. The sky grew darker, the clouds threatening to rain. The grass became hard pavement and all around him, a maze of brick walls formed, leading him down an alley way to a clearing.

Chiro froze in horror.

Shadows were seen dancing on the wall behind him. His brother was getting beaten in front of him. He was reliving the horrible memory again. Then suddenly, just for a second, he was Hiro.

Chiro's eyes snapped open and he hadn't realized his were closed at all. Chiro ran towards the two guys above his brother and went to kick them, hard, but fell straight through. A shiver ran through his body, and he looked back to see it was if he never moved.

The scene flashed and the two jerks were gone. An older Hiro was standing where he was a second ago. He glared at Chiro.

"You promised," he said darkly.

Chiro took a step back.

A flashback flew through his head once again.

"_Twilight," Hiro cried out to the little girl in another alleyway, frozen in horror, "Be a good girl and do what Chiro says. You are very strong and brave. Fight for what you believe in and always do your best. I'm proud to be your big brother. Always remember to be yourself."_

_Hiro had turned to Chiro. "Chiro, I couldn't be even happier to be your identical brother. You've done so much. Do your greatest and work hard everyday. Run, run away Chiro while you still can!_ _Take Twilight and run! Promise me you'll keep our baby sister safe and happy; make sure you always have her back! Go!"_

"_I promise," younger Chiro finally cried out before running to Twilight._

"_Go," Hiro cried out one last time._

_Chiro took Twilight and ran._

Chiro staggered back more and his back pressed against the cold stone.

"YOU FAILED," Hiro suddenly screamed, transforming into a black creature that charged. At the last second, Chiro dodged, and the creature disappeared through the wall.

Blackness surrounded his vision, but Chiro still staggered towards one alley way, one where he knew Twilight was down, a light at the end.

"Chiro," her voice cried out in horror.

Putting all his energy into it, he forced himself to run.

_Chiro sat in his room in the orphanage. It was large and fit four people. The walls and carpet were all blue as well as the blankets on the beds. On one wall, where the heads of the beds were against, and between the middle beds, was the door. At the end of each bed was a trunk with everyone's belongings. On the opposite side were tall and long white bookshelves filled with books, picture frames, a few toys… Between the shelves was a cushioned bench with pillows that sat near the window. That's where Twilight was sitting._

_Twilight wore a simple black t-shirt and jeans. She was looking out the window. _

_There were two other people in the room, sitting on their own beds._

"_Chiro," Twilight said after a while, "Can I go outside?"_

_Chiro looked up. "But, it's pouring out."_

_Twilight got up and smiled. "I'm just going to go to the store. I'll take my raincoat and umbrella. Do you guys want anything? Valerie? David?"_

"_Could you pick me up chocolate," the only other girl in the room, Valerie, asked, "I'm craving them right now." Valerie had long, curly brown hair and green eyes. She wore a white t-shirt, dangly earrings, and skinny jeans._

"_Can you get me a sports magazine," the other guy, David, asked. He wore a grey shirt and black baggy jeans. His hair was a messy black and he had brown eyes._

_Twilight nodded. She went under her bed and pulled out a folded green raincoat and a green umbrella. She then grabbed a large red purse after she slipped the raincoat on. After putting on her shoes, she turned to Chiro and said, "I'll be right back, I promise." After a quick sisterly kiss, she said a quick 'love you' then left._

_Chiro felt sick to his stomach, once she left._

"_She'll be fine," Valerie said to Chiro after a while, "Our girl is tough. She'll be back here before you know it."_

_David chuckled lightly. "You've got to loosen up more."_

_After what felt like an eternity to him, with Valerie and David, cheering him up, Chiro heard a loud scream._

_Chiro and the others jumped up._

"_What was that," Valerie asked._

_David had run to the window to see if he could find anything._

"_Chiro!"_

_Chiro's eyes widened. "Twilight," he called out. Without even thinking, he rushed out the door of their room._

_David's eyes widened, "Oh c—" Before he could finish, Chiro was gone. Both followed after him._

_Chiro ran barefoot through the pouring rain. He came to an alley near the orphanage to find a broken green umbrella… and a black van driving away._

Chiro suddenly stopped. All around him, everything was black.

"Hello," he called out, "Twilight?"

Something came at him. Suddenly, two pairs of arms were wrapped around him. It was Twilight, glowing in her older form.

* * *

><p>Chiro gasped, waking up to find Otto hovering inches from his face. He jolted in shock, accidentally knocking his head into Otto's and leaving them both clutching a sore spot.<p>

"He's awake," Otto said.

"I concur," Gibson's voice said.

From behind Otto, everybody was seen standing in his room.

"What are you guys doing here," Chiro asked, confused.

"Antauri sensed a disturbance and had us all check on you," Jinmay replied.

"What happened, kid," Sprx asked.

"You were so pale and you were sweating," Nova continued, "We saw you clutching your sheets and whimpering."

Chiro rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry guys, it's nothing."

Antauri frowned. "You know you can always talk to any of us if you need to."

Chiro nodded. "I know."

"Let's go down to the park," Otto piped, "There's a lot to do there!"

"What an excellent idea, Otto," Antauri agreed.

Chiro nodded. "Okay."

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><p><strong>Please review.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Destiny: (sulks)

Chiro: Um, Destiny?

Destiny: What?

Chiro: What are you doing?

Destiny: Borrowing Tamaki's corner…

Chiro: The guy from OHSHC? Why?

Destiny: I need to finish all of my stories faster, I've been way too busy to write since the last chapter and I'm getting buried under a mountain of homework.

Chiro: (sighs) Dest doesn't own us.

Destiny: (out of corner) Well on the bright side, I was able to come up with tons of new ideas for stories while I couldn't write and am determined now to get them all done fast, at least, the older ones. The computer I normally use has been offline for a long time and I couldn't do anything about it… until now!

Chiro: Well that was fast.

Destiny: I was just kidding. I'm setting a whole new pace for me and following a new idea of how to beat writer's block for when it comes again. I'm excited!

Chiro: Jeez, your enthusiasm is contagious…

Destiny: Good. Now to my dear readers, thank you for being faithful. I can't promise I'll be online as much as I used to and I can't promise I'll be able to work on my stories and update them often. I'm trying though; I'll still work on the chapters when I can, wether or not I can type. I'll at least be using my trusty notebook. (sigh) Still, I'm determined to get all of my stories done soon, at least the older ones, but especially Guardian Hearts.

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><p>The park was truly a beautiful place inside the busy city. The sun was high in the sky and birds were singing melodies. The Hyperforce could see many kids playing and hear their abundant laughter echo across the fields.<p>

"Wow, there's a lot of people here today," Nova commented in slight awe.

Jinmay giggled as small children ran along playing tag.

Nova turned to face Chiro, her soft, bubblegum pink eyes gazing into his light ocean blue. His attention was focused warmly on Jinmay. The female mecha, and love of his life, was now playing with the small children as they laughed and danced around her. The young leader chuckled fondly. He turned away when Nova tugged on his sleeve to face the golden warrior; the sunset melding with the sea as their eyes met.

"What's up, Nova," he asked

"Um, do you want to go on a walk with me," she asked.

Chiro gave a soft smile. "Sure Nova." He then turned to the others, who were beginning to go off on their own. Even now, Otto and Sprx were running across the park. Antauri was meditating under the shade of an old Oak tree. Gibson was near the other side of the trunk, reading a novel. Chiro turned back to Nova and said, "Let's go."

As the two of them walked, Chiro leading her somewhere, her mind couldn't help but wander. _"Chiro has had a really hard time in the past, and yet, somehow, he manages to keep smiling," _she thought, _"Why is it that he always has to hide things? Even now, even though we know a bit of his past, I still feel like there's something missing. Why can't he be open to us…?"_

Nova broke out of thought for a moment when she looked over at Chiro. He was smiling brightly, blissfully unaware of her gaze.

"_Why is it that there's more behind his smile? Why is it that he can't show his feelings fully at times? Chiro must be hiding something… but what? Our Chosen One… why is it that he's been hurt so many times, but just gets back up…" _She gave a small, forced smile in realization. _"All hardships must be overcome. I guess, whatever happened to him, made him the boy he is today… yet still…"_

Nova snapped out of it when Chiro tapped on her shoulder. She realized she was now with him on a small hill. In front of her was a middle-aged man dressed in pink attire. He was running a small ice cream stand, a fairly small steel cart held all the different kinds of the sweet, frozen dairy treat.

"What flavor do you want," Chiro asked.

"Strawberry, please," she replied somewhat quietly.

Chiro turned back to the man running the small stand. "Two strawberries, please," he said. The man smiled and scooped two ice creams up and handed them to Chiro.

"It's great to see you Chiro," he said, "It's been a while. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good, how are you, Mr. Melson?"

The man chuckled. "I'm well. Sheila and the kids are off somewhere, most likely shopping. You two have fun."

Chiro nodded, "We will. Bye."

"Thank you," Nova called out as Chiro led her away.

"Who was that," she then asked after they were a ways off. Both of them were beginning to eat their ice cream.

"That was Mr. Roy Melson," Chiro replied, "That man used to serve my family ice cream every Sunday when we came to the park."

"Hmm…" Nova went back to licking her ice cream.

They passed by an older woman, probably in her late forties, who was comforting a small child. The yellow monkey turned to Chiro for a moment and then glanced back at the pair for a moment before continuing to lick the sweet strawberry flavor once again before it could melt into her hands.

"_Isn't that sweet," _she thought. She could then picture the woman in the picture from the cemetery, Chiro's own mother doing the same.

"_Mommy," a small boy cried._

_A young woman looked off from the sight of watching a man and two kids play happily. She turned to the boy, whose eyes were full of big tears. She knelt down and scooped him up into her arms, holding him tight. "Chiro, what's wrong," she asked._

"_T-those boys from s-school were picking on me, Mommy," Chiro sobbed._

_The woman smiled at the boy and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It's okay, young one, I will always be there to protect you."_

Nova frowned. _"That's right," _she thought, _"How long was it since Chiro had a mom to do that for him?" _She looked back up at Chiro and couldn't help but smile. _"He's a sweet boy and he has a new family who will watch over him."_

Chiro turned to say something to her, but that was quickly interrupted. She couldn't even get in a few more precious licks before she was knocked hard to the ground.

Everything suddenly fell silent.

Nova slowly got up, furious. Her anguish grew as she glared at the culprit, enough to rapidly melt the ice cream that had been forced into her face.

"SPRX-77," she growled.

"Oh, you're in trouble now," a voice said from behind her.

Nova turned and glared at Otto, who shrunk back and was now cowering with Sprx. Both of their fur was ghostly white from sheer terror of her fiery wrath.

"AND WHAT WERE YOU TWO IDIOTS UP TO THIS TIME," she yelled. Somebody placed her hand on her shoulder, causing her to spin around and snap, "WHAT!" She immediately blanched.

"Nova," Antauri warned slowly.

From behind the silver monkey, Jinmay joined the group, followed by Gibson with a closed book.

"Sorry, Antauri," Nova muttered.

"What were you two doing anyways," Jinmay asked.

"We were playing tag," Sprx finally said.

"I'm it," Otto replied cheerfully.

"You're not supposed to be it," Sprx scoffed.

"Oh," Otto said. He then swung his arm out and hit Sprx, making a loud clang crash with metal hitting metal.

"Ow!"

"You're it," Otto exclaimed, causing everyone else to chuckle.

Sprx growled, rubbing his arm. "Why I outta…"

Before he could continue, Chiro stepped in. "How about we play something else instead," he suggested.

"Hide 'n' Seek," Otto piped in.

Chiro couldn't help but grin as everyone agreed, well, almost everyone.

"No," Gibson said plainly.

"Aww, why not," Otto whined.

"I will not stoop so low in intelligence as to play preposterous childish games—"

Otto frowned, his face falling to stare at the grass. "Oh…"

"Oh, don't feel bad, Otto," Sprx interrupted with a coy smirk plastered on his face as he eyed Gibson. "Dr. Brainstrain here wouldn't know fun if it slapped him across the face."

Gibson sputtered, "I-I do know fun!"

Sprx rolled his eyes. Sarcastically, he shot back, "Right, like figuring out new elements for the peri-mawhootzit table is fun. Face it, Brainstrain, you're dull and boring." Sprx's smirk grew at the results.

"I am so fun, Sparky! I'm IN!"

"Who's counting," Nova asked.

"I will be the seeker, Nova, while you all hide," Antauri replied.

"Are we splitting into teams," Jinmay asked.

Antauri nodded. "I suppose that would be best."

"Hey, Nova," Sprx said, "Do you want to be my partner, babe?"

Nova rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Sprx," she replied.

"But you are the angel in mine," Sprx replied, not knowing when to stop, that is, until Nova walked over to Otto. Sprx's jaw dropped.

Antauri closed his eyes, retreating under the Oak tree from earlier. "I'm counting," he warned, "1…2…3…"

Chiro tapped on Jinmay's shoulder and held out his hand. She took it and they both ran off, Chiro leading her to some place.

The others couldn't help but chuckle before going off as well.

"Where are we going, Chiro," Jinmay asked after they were out of sight. Her vision grew black from Chiro's warm hands suddenly covering them.

"Chiro," she asked calmly, "What are you doing?"

She heard Chiro laugh. "I'm taking you to a very special place," he then whispered softly into her ear, "Only my siblings and I know of it."

Jinmay only nodded. _"Why is he showing me this,"_ she couldn't help but think.

They had walked a fair distance, and Jinmay was sure Antauri was almost done by now. Her thoughts were interrupted when Chiro stopped abruptly.

"We're here," he said, uncovering her eyes.

They were on the edge of a small drop. There were treetops in front of her. When she took a peek down, the ground wasn't too far and there was still a long length of park left. At the bottom, surrounding the base of a few trees, were tall bushes.

Chiro had activated his jetpack and took her hand.

Together, they floated down to the ground, into the bushes.

Chiro was the first to get up, maneuvering through the shadows.

Jinmay stood and followed him to the tree. It was fairly large, now that she was at the bottom and judging by the width of the trunk.

"In here," Chiro said, gesturing to a large hole at the base of the tree, hidden by the large, thick bushes.

She ducked inside. Despite the darkness, she could still see clearly. It had seemed large on the inside. She noticed the ground was covered by an old, blanket with pink and yellow patches. On one side was a small soccer ball and a football. On another were large novels worn by age with a small blue rabbit sitting on the top. Various action figures also lay strewn around.

Chiro crouched in after cleverly replacing the branches. He gave a weak chuckle at the memory this place held. "My brother and I found this place when running from a bully. We were here for hours until the guy left. We ended up scaring the crud out of Twilight when we didn't come back. It was one of the few times we were separated."

Jinmay gave a weak smile. "This place must be very special to you."

Chiro nodded. "I admit, we were small for our age, I still am actually. This made the perfect hideout when we were little. All we had to do was have the bushes just right and pin a blanket to camouflage the entrance and no one could find us. We had our own little world… it was all to ourselves. We stopped coming as often when we opened up to new people… entirely after Hiro's death."

There was a long silence after that.

They listened to the sounds of nature; the birds singing, crickets chirping in delight, and the wind whistling through the trees.

"Chiro," Jinmay asked, finally.

"Hnm…?" Chiro turned to her with a tilt of his head as they sat side by side.

"Who's… who's were these," she asked, gesturing to the lot of items.

Chiro gave a weak smile. "The balls were Hiro's; he's the athletic nut. Most toys are mine, of course. The blanket is Twilight's, from our grandmother before she and grandpa passed away. She also owns the rabbit and the books."

"Wait, how old was she?"

"Nine before she disappeared, going on ten the next month."

Jinmay's eyes widened. "Really!" She tentatively took a few of the books and scanned the titles before replacing them. "Wow…"

"Yep. Twilight was such a brainiac. She could read one of those in an hour or so. She and Gibson would've gotten along so well. Actually, I'm sure the team would've adored her."

An image of a 9-year-old Twilight being glomped by Otto made him snicker a bit.

An idea popped into Jinmay's head. "Wait, if she was so smart… does that mean you can understand what Gibson's saying?"

Chiro grinned, nodding. "Yeah, I understand after a while, although, Twilight's nothing compared to Gibson when it comes to putting you to sleep."

Both laughed at this.

Chiro then said, "You know, underneath this blanket, the three of us buried a treasure for safe keeping. We were planning to open it in around ten years." Chiro's eyes saddened, and there was a long silence.

Jinmay decided to leave it at that, but gave him a small kiss on the lips to cheer him up a bit. It worked… a bit.

Together, they listened to each others' breaths as they sat hand in hand. They listened for the team, but they weren't here yet.

Finally, Chiro broke the silence by saying, "You know, I know Hiro's long dead, but I still wonder about Twilight. I wonder if she's still alive out there… somewhere. I mean, truly alive. Do you think it's crazy? Do you think it's crazy that she could still be out there, alive?"

Jinmay sat still for a moment before shaking her head. "I believe… I believe in you. I believe that if you think that she's still alive, by all means, she's got to be."

Chiro turned to her, smiling, his grip tightening a little. "Do you really think she is?"

Jinmay nodded. "She's got to be. I hear that twins and triplets have this weird 6th or 7th sense. They can sense each other or something like that."

Chiro snorted. "That's bull. So you're saying I'm weird."

Jinmay gasped, playfully smacking her boyfriend's shoulder. "Chiro!" She then smirked. "Yes, you are weird."

Chiro laughed before saying quietly, "Jinmay?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

For hours after that, they talked and laughed with each other. Once they realized the time, they both decided time was up.

They went back to the spot they left Antauri hand in hand, just as the others walked up from the other direction.

"There they are," Sprx said irritably, "Where were you two?"

"Hiding," they both replied.

Nova sighed, "Well, Otto's off somewhere playing and Gibson went back to reading. Does anyone want to go with Sprx and I to the pond?"

"I'll go," Jinmay replied.

That left Antauri and Chiro to themselves.

Antauri gave Chiro a warm smile and both went on a walk together.

Hours later, Otto suddenly came rushing in, ending their moment together. "Ooh, ooh, Chiro, Antauri," he gasped, taking deep gasps of air.

"Yes, Otto," Antauri asked.

"You've got to meet this girl I met," he said, "She's so amazing and funny and…"

"Alright, we get it," Chiro interrupted, smiling. "We'll come and meet your new friend."

They followed Otto through the park, eventually joining with the others, searching for the girl. From what they heard, she was a little girl wearing a white shirt and skirt, her eyes green and her hair long and brown.

Otto stopped after a while, they were near the gates surrounding the park now, a confused expression crossing his face.

"I could've sworn she was right here."

"That's okay, Otto," Nova told him.

"Besides," Gibson added, "It's getting late, anyways." He gestured to the sky, the orange sun setting in the distance.

"We should start heading back," Antauri finished, "before it gets dark."

They all nodded in silent agreement.

Chiro kicked a small pebble on the ground as they walked, the others chatting around him. He couldn't wait to get home and collapse into his nice, soft bed. He was exhausted!

As they walked through the night, most of the city, minus the downtown area, was asleep. None of them saw a figure walking from one of the bridges and into the city as they passed by. The same figure blinked, coming to a stop in the lamplight.

That figure was a tall girl of about 15-years-old. She was skinny and had a pale complexion that glowed in the light. She wore a black and white striped longsleeve shirt, ripped jeans, and black combat boots. Her ears were pierced, decorated with black hoop earrings and she wore black fingerless gloves. A bag lay rested over her shoulder. Her hair was straight and smooth, a silky black and her eyes… her eyes were grayish white.

She took a few steps forward, her right arm reaching out as they were fading into the dying-sunlit horizon, but hesitated. She pulled it back in, unsure. Her eyes glazed and her body trembled a bit, squeezing them shut tight. Her eyes then opened again as she made a decision.

The girl sprinted forward, just enough so she could see them again. They were heading near an empty pier, void of any life at the moment besides them. Taking a deep breath, she cupped her hands over her mouth.

Chiro couldn't help but yawn as they walked. Apparently, Otto decided there was a short cut around the city and yet somehow, everyone agreed to follow.

"Ichirou Alexander Griffin," a voice suddenly called out. All of the chatting ceased immediately.

Chiro's eyes were wide and he spun around. For a moment, his breathing hitched as he froze. Around him, the others turned as well. They saw the girl in the distance start to run towards them. As she ran closer, her head was lowered.

A small smile formed on his face.

The girl dove into Chiro, dropping her bag in the process. Her head was buried into his chest and she was holding on to him tightly.

Chiro gave her hug, smiling. Only one word escaped his mouth; Twilight.

The rest of the team smiled.

* * *

><p>Domo arigatou… Gracias… Thank you! Well, um, that's all I know for saying thank you. Tune in next time!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Otto: Hey guys, Destiny allowed me to host this chapter. Let's see… She has been buried under a mountain of homework, her computer crashed, her internet on the computer with her files is still down, and for some reason, and her PM is going haywire. Yet, she finally found a way to defeat all three and now has time to write. So let me introduce, Chapter 8!

Destiny: How do you like that, Chiro? Your sister is back!

Chiro: …

Destiny: Oh my gosh, he's in shock. I think I broke him! Um…. I don't own SRMTHFG!

Chiro: … Thank you…

Otto: Uh… Destiny?

Destiny: What is it Otto?

Otto: AVALANCHE!

Everyone: AAHHH!

(Homework buries everyone as the mountain crumbles…)

Destiny: Grr…

* * *

><p>Chiro couldn't place this feeling he felt. It was all too surreal. He couldn't describe it. The closest word might me shock.<p>

This girl, his triplet sister, was buried in his embrace. His sister, the girl who went missing for nearly 7 years was back and right there. This small, pale thing dressed in black was her.

How could he describe it?

His mind flashed to the nightmares he's had on what happened to her or what could've been happening, his dreams of meeting her again, of finding her… she was no longer a nine-year-old girl, the one he remembered. No longer the little girl who read his mind and he read hers, the one whom he'd always divulge his secrets to. She was no longer the one who'd cry into his arms at night and he'd sing her to sleep with an old lullaby from his mother.

No, he had missed six years of her life because of those damn kidnappers. Why? Why did he have to be so stupid? He knows he shouldn't be blaming himself, but… Look at her!

She looked exactly like that girl in his dreams, the one who clutched him tight. She has grown into a young woman, and he couldn't be along for the ride. He wasn't there to help her when she fell or praise her for her accomplishments. No, there was only a dark void; six years with her missing… all because of him.

It seemed impossible, that after all this time, it was her. He knew it was her, though, he felt it was her in his gut.

Ever since Hiro had died, their own little world was shattered into a million pieces after the trinity was severed. He had tried to put it together again, but with Hiro gone, a large piece was missing. Despite his efforts, it was still disintegrating into smaller pieces until everything fell apart completely.

It was simply incomprehendable.

He could feel himself slowly begin to slip away. His brain went blank, though he desperately tried to hold on. Not now! He staggered a bit and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, alerting Twilight and the others before he came crashing to the ground.

His head was swimming. What a familiar feeling lately, he would've silently mused. What happened? He couldn't place his thoughts. Something about dreams, ice cream, hide-n-seek… what was it?

"Kid, wake up," he could hear Sprx's voice bubble.

"Chiro," Nova's voice followed.

"Oh, it's all my fault," he heard a new voice say, "I should've known, I-I shouldn't have done that…"

"It's okay," Otto's voice piped in, "You were probably excited."

"Still…"

What was that voice, scratching at the back of his mind? He's never heard of it before.

"_Ichirou Alexander Griffin…"_

All he could see was black as he tried to force himself into consciousness. He saw two bright lights side by side. There was Hiro and Twilight both holding their hands out. He tried to reach out to them, but they were drifting away. They called out his name, screaming to come, but he couldn't reach, no matter how hard they tried. And then…

Twilight's hand grabbed his and his vision turned white.

"He's waking up," he heard Antauri's voice say.

When he regained consciousness, he found the monkeys circling around him.

"Wha—"

He looked over to see his girlfriend standing with his sister, whose face was down as she stared at the ground.

Sprx was the first to speak, his voice actually full of concern. "Kid, you okay?"

What happened? Why was he on the ground? It took a few seconds before the fog in his head started to fade. Oh yeah, he had passed out. Great.

Slowly, Chiro picked himself up into a sitting position and holding his head. He blinked, trying to resurface with his head still one hundred leagues underwater. It throbbed, and he knew he'd have a bad migraine after this… but he had to admit, it WAS worth it.

"I'm so sorry," Twilight spoke, "I really should have known better."

Her voice; there was a hint of his own hidden in there, yet it was so feminine, so much higher than it was years ago, but pleasantly low as well. It was too strange. There were so many changes, he could already tell. He couldn't read her anymore.

Chiro waved her apology away then looked up. "Nah, its okay, Twilly. I had it coming for me anyways…"

Twilight's mouth opened, before her expression completely changed. Her lips formed a pout, yet her face was serious, almost annoyed. Placing her hands on her hips, she said, "Oh, and here I was worrying for my _darling_brother. Gee, here I thought you would've grown up a little." She then shifted into a weak smile. "Thanks for caring, but don't blame yourself. Never blame yourself for that…_incident_."

Chiro chuckled slightly. _"Same old Twilight,"_ he thought. Getting up, he grinned. "I love ya too, sis."

Twilight smiled. "Dang, look how you've grown... Not too shabby, huh?"

Chiro playfully stuck out his tongue. "While you have hardly changed a bit," he interrupted.

Twilight only shrugged before leaning over to grab her bag then slung it over her shoulders. "I see Mr. Funny Man hasn't changed too much either."

They both knew it wasn't true. They have changed… and it sent sharp pangs to their chests.

Chiro only flashed a grin at her, hiding this with his professional facade. "Anyways… Guys, this is my baby sister, Twilight. Twilight, these are my friends."

Antauri cleared his throat, deciding to take the lead. "My name is Antauri, second in command of the Hyperforce."

Twilight smiled and held out a hand to shake. Antauri had accepted it. "It's nice to meet you."

"The name's Sprx-77, but friends call me Sprx," Sprx greeted, a cocky grin plastered on his face, "Master pilot and chick magnet—"

Nova promptly whacked him with her tail, huffing. "Since when," she commented.

Sprx rubbed his cheek before adding, "Aw, you know you love me."

Nova only rolled her eyes.

"Ahem, my name is Mr. Hal Gibson, please, just call me Gibson," the blue monkey said, quickly stepping in, "I am the team's scientist."

"In other words, Dr. Brainstrain here will bore you to tears," Sprx commented, "Once he starts talking, it's best to run because he'll never stop."

Twilight snorted, grinning before turning to Chiro. "I'm glad somebody took over that position, Chi. I would've been so sad if that hadn't happened."

Chiro only rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Nova held out her hand before saying, "I'm Nova, the fiercest fighter."

Twilight shook her hand with a firm grip before commenting, "That's cool. You must be very strong."

Nova couldn't help but smile. "Thanks."

Otto suddenly jumped onto Twilight's shoulders. "I'm Otto," he exclaimed, "I like tools!"

"Otto," Gibson scowled, "Get off the girl already."

Otto frowned before complying. "Sorry," he muttered.

Jinmay than walked forward and spoke, "I'm Jinmay, Chiro's girlfriend."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but smirk. "Oh really?" She turned her head to Chiro with a smug look on her face. "Who knew little Chi had it in him?"

"Hey," Chiro interrupting, "I'm older than you. YOU'RE the little one."

Twilight only shrugged again. "What's a few minutes," she muttered boredly.

"A lot considering you're the youngest of three," Chiro added with his own smirk.

Twilight rolled her eyes before suddenly beaming and walking over to Jinmay. "Ooh… how long?"

"Almost a year now," Jinmay answered, smiling.

"Okay, you have to tell me everything," Twilight exclaimed, "What was he like? Was he Mr. Knight in Shining Armor or…."

"More like the Blundering Hero," Jinmay interrupted.

"I resent that," Chiro commented.

Twilight snickered. "I can picture that."

"What about you, Twi," Chiro added, "When did you turn into quite the girly-girl?"

Twilight pulled a strand of hair back behind her ear, grinning. "Oh, believe me, Chiro, I'm still me. It's just that's what sisters are for… well, more like the youngest triplet with you for a brother."

Chiro was about to comment when a large drop of water plopped onto his nose. He blinked. "Huh?"

Suddenly, it started to rain. At first, it was only a light drizzle, but it was slowing becoming harder.

"Maybe we should take this inside," Antauri said, "its late anyways."

In another scene, moments later, everyone is walking underneath a black umbrella.

Wanting to break the silence that filled the air, besides the constant patter of the cool spring rain, Twilight finally spoke. "So… Jinmay, how did you meet Chiro?"

Sprx snickered at the memory while the others couldn't help but chuckle. Chiro scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"The kid fell a hundred feet for her, literally," Sprx commented, "The two of us were cleaning the robot when he shot his cord by getting lost in her eyes."

Twilight laughed. "Typical, clumsy oaf; I swear Chiro, I have no idea how you walk on two feet sometimes. Sheesh, for once your clumsiness paid off."

The couple blushed.

"Then, when did you first like him? Of course Chi fell in love at first sight."

Chiro blushed harder.

Jinmay then smiled. "He helped me when these two bullies, BT and Glenny, were picking on Sakko and me. I had no idea at the time that Sakko was evil, but…"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Those two? I suppose some things never change. I'm guessing ol' carrot top and fuzz head are still bumbling idiots?"

"Yep," Jinmay said, "You got it."

Chiro snorted at the memories.

"So, Twilight," Antauri asked.

Twilight turned her head slightly. "Shoot."

"Can you explain what's happened to you?"

Twilight shrugged once again. "It's actually not much. Where do you want to start?"

"The beginning," Chiro said.

"Well, mommies and daddies who love each other very much decide to—"

"You know what I mean," Chiro interrupted slightly annoyed, yet amused.

Twilight frowned. "Well, I went to the gas station and I had the strangest feeling I was being watched."

"Why didn't you go back!"

Twilight glared at Chiro. "It was Ma and Pa Shinco. They just said hi and waved. Jeez, nothing dangerous there."

The team shifted uncomfortably.

Twilight shook her head. "I'll ask later… Anyways, I went to the gas station and…"

* * *

><p><em>Twilight stumbled down the steps towards the front door of the orphanage, her vibrant green rain boots squeaking at each step and her large red bag oddly standing out. <em>

_As she opened the door, welcoming the pouring rain, she began to feel sick to her stomach, wondering if something would happen. Opening her umbrella and securing her hat and coat, she ignored it and walked out._

_Despite the loudness of the storm and the hover cars and citizens rushed by, sloshing the water, she was relatively at ease. All of her worries have diminished. She inhaled deeply at the strong sent of the rain and beamed. _

_To her, the weather was perfect. It was a melody of water pelting the ground she tread on. She only wished there could've been thunder and lightning to harmonize._

_She walked carefully in her squeaking boots as they splashed in the many puddles, making sure to watch out for any cars that may suddenly spin out, for she knew there may very well be with how hard the rain was._

_She stopped at the end of the sidewalk, waiting for the crossing light to switch._

"_Let's see," she mumbled, "I have a twenty five with me right now… Valerie said she wanted chocolate… David wanted that sports magazine… What was it called? Oh yeah, he likes that one with the Astronaut. I should probably get that Intergalactic Pre-Teen magazine for Valerie too, maybe a comic for David as well."_

_Twilight didn't notice a black van come down the street behind her._

"_Hmm… What would Chiro like? Maybe that one magazine with those animals… That issue should have monkeys … Maybe he'd like something from that new TV series… Was it the Sun Riders?"_

_She remembered when she saw the first episode with Chiro. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "That Aurora girl is kind of cool, but what does he see in that show? Sheesh, it's almost as corny as Metro Bots…"_

_The light switched and she continued walking._

_The van had slowly and oh so quietly snuck behind her._

_Twilight finally made it to the gas station. It was a small, yet cozy building that had a large overhang on the roof to shield her from the rain. Large red letters hung on top, reading Mac's Pit Stop._

_The owner, Mac, was a bit of a vehicle nut in her opinion. He was a fan of racing and especially cars. If you had a problem, he'd be one of the first you'd probably go to._

_Twilight smiled when she walked in, the warm air hitting her face, making her realize how cold the rain actually was._

_She had quickly picked out all of her items before going to the counter and checking everything out._

_She was outside and halfway back once again when her hair stood on end. She turned her head and noticed she was by the arcade. Ma and Pa Shinco wore warm smiles and waved._

"_Hello, Twilight," Pa Shinco called out._

"_How are you, dear," Ma continued._

_Twilight waved. "I'm fine, thank you," she replied, "How's the arcade?"_

"_Oh, we've gotten new games since the last time you and your brother were here," Pa replied._

"_Oh, that's cool. I have to get back soon, so I'm afraid I can't take a peek, but I'll be sure to tell Chiro and the others. I can't wait to try them out!"_

"_That's okay, dear," Ma Shinco said to her._

_Twilight was about to leave when she remembered that girl she would sometimes see in the shadows of their establishment._

"_Oh, tell Liana I said hi, okay?"_

"_Will do, dear."_

_With that, Twilight continued her walk._

* * *

><p>"Liana," Chiro asked, "Whose she?"<p>

"I think she was their daughter. I was able to talk to her sometimes."

The others shared a glance with each other, having a feeling they knew exactly who she was. An evil sorceress's image flickered through their minds.

"Wait, how come I didn't see her?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. Unlike you, I didn't get absorbed in videogames for countless hours like you and the others. Nearly every Saturday we went there, I'd see her standing alone and I'd talk to her sometimes. Although, I hadn't seen her in a while. I wonder what happened to her…"

"Well, go on."

* * *

><p><em>After a while, Twilight felt something wasn't right. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a van hanging behind her. She felt uneasy when she saw it and instantly knew she should get out of there.<em>

_Testing her theory, she walked around the corner of the street, only to have it follow. She began to pick up her pace a little and the van had too. Forming a plan in her head of where to go, she began to walk even faster. Butterflies filled her stomach and she instantly wished she had asked someone to come with her as the van picked up speed ever so slightly._

_Adrenaline then kicked in as she began to sprint. She cursed herself for not being the fastest, but was relieved when she ducked into a crowd. It didn't last long, for the van had eventually found her again._

_Knowing she was close to home now, she ducked into an alley, a perfect shortcut that would've led her towards one side of the orphanage, a little less than a block away at the opening. She was so close, and yet…_

_The van had stopped in front of her and two men had flown out at her lightning fast. _

_She instantly screamed, "CHIRO!"_

_She tried struggling in vain, dropping her now battered umbrella in the process. By now, she desperately wished someone had heard her. She wished someone at least saw or would come to her rescue._

_David's head had poked out the widen and their eyes met. Both pairs were wide in shock and terror._

* * *

><p>"That's the last thing I remembered before one of them put something to my face and I blacked out," Twilight finished.<p>

The Hyperforce's eyes were wide, letting the information sink in.

Chiro's breathing was silent and wavering. His fists were clenched and his knuckles were white. Nobody had noticed as he quickly put in under control.

Antauri silently frowned. He was the only one who sensed Chiro's anguish, but decided to confront the boy later.

"Go on," Chiro finally said after a while.

Twilight put her hands behind her head and looked towards the sky. "Well, it went pretty fast from there. I was basically taken to the outskirts… yadayadayada… and I had escaped soon after that."

"What do you mean by escaped, Twilight," Jinmay asked politely.

"Well, it was a few months after I was kidnapped and, well, I had escaped with the help of…um… one of the kidnappers."

Chiro eyed her suspiciously. "So you're telling us that one of the people who kidnapped you kidnapped you again from the kidnappers?"

"Works for me," Otto chimed.

Twilight chuckled. "Miranda was one of the seven kidnappers. Apparently there's high bounty or something like that… Anyways, she didn't really like what was happening, had a change of conscience, and helped me escape to a more primative planet. We've been living together since."

"But—"

"Listen, Chi," Twilight spoke, interrupting him, "Miranda did a bad thing and felt guilty so she helped me escape. We were several lightyears away from Shuggazoom and couldn't do a thing about it. She helped teach me, because frankly, Shuggazoom is WAY more advanced than that planet. She even helped get me back here when we actually got our hands on the right materials."

Chiro just sighed. "Fine."

All that surrounded them then was the sound of rain all the way back to the robot. It was pretty awkward, considering no one had any idea of what to say.

Twilight nervously bit her lip, unconsciously tugging her hair while she walked. A huge ball of nerves was tangled inside her stomach.

Chiro was simply silent, a stoic expression sewn across his face. He couldn't really think of anything. All he did was walk mechanically, following the others closely.

Soon the Super Robot was in view.

Nova turned towards Twilight. "Welcome to our…" She paused, only to chuckle amusedly at Twilight's current expression.

Twilight was in shock, gaping at the large guardian with her head tilted up and her eyes wide.

The others followed suit, clearly amused.

Twilight brought her head to face Chiro, her mouth closed tight. Finally, she said quietly, "That was you…"

Chiro blinked in confusion. "What?"

"You and the others… you guys stopped that gigantic worm, didn't you."

Chiro's eyes grew wide. "W-Were you actually… Oh jeez, you were actually on that…" He felt sick at the very idea.

Twilight nodded. "I take it you were the ape that got swallowed?"

Chiro frowned at the memory, but nodded anyways. _"Dang, I'm in for it now. She's going to laugh and—"_

"That was pretty noble of you all, protecting all of those billions down there and even across the galaxy," Twilight said, interrupting his thoughts. "Miranda has always told me of legends of our world and other ones as well. Who knew my big brother turned out to be the Chosen One… Suits you, you know?" Twilight flashed a warm smile while the others gaped. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>And…. I'm done. These last two chapters and the future ones coming were brought to you by USB. Literally. Hehe. Keep reading! :3<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

_Inside a tunnel, somewhere underneath the mountain…_

Otto: (Playing harmonica)

Chiro: Destiny, when do you think we'll get out of here?

Destiny: It would go much faster if you two actually helped me dig out of here.

Chiro: Otto, where'd you get that harmonica?

Otto: I found it.

Destiny: Anyways, well, I'm back. To answer your question, Aprotny, sort of. I am sick today, so it's bound to happen. I have everything done so far and I am free to write! My main priority this week is this story.

Otto: Destiny doesn't own anything.

* * *

><p>"So… What do you think," Chiro asked. Everyone had taken a seat in the bubble chairs; of course, Jinmay shared with Chiro and Twilight sat cross-legged on the ground.<p>

Twilight's eyes were still wide when she said simply, "Amazing. It's like, wow… and I thought he was big on the outside. There must be a maze in here with all this space."

Chiro couldn't help but smile, remembering her first reaction to the Super Robot's interior. She was in awe; her eyes were wide and filled with curiosity and amazement. In fact, the gears in her brain were buzzing as she took in everything she saw. He could easily see her eyes were lit up like a child in a candy store.

He silently chuckled.

"Yep," Otto chirped happily, "We've got the control room, the engine room, the generator room, Gibson's lab, the bedrooms, the Med Bay, the kitchen, the bathroom, hallways, vents, the Game Room, another training room, more hallways, more vents, the tubes, the—"

"We get it, Otto," Sprx interrupted, "Sheesh, I bet she's already lost."

Twilight shook her head. "That's cool, Otto."

Otto beamed and stuck out his tongue at Sprx.

"I still have some questions, Twilight, if you don't mind me asking," Antauri stated

"Sure, go ahead," Twilight said.

"When did you first arrive here on Shuggazoom," Antauri asked, his voice only hinting seriousness. Did he think something was wrong?

"Last September," she replied, "It was around the time those wraiths appeared."

Antauri nodded. "Does anybody else know you're here?

Twilight shook her head. "Not really. Nobody recognized me so I figured it would be easier if when anybody asked, I'd introduce myself as Rose De Angelo."

"Why," Chiro asked, "Why would you call yourself that?"

Twilight stared at him long and hard. "Think about it Chiro. If I said I was Twilight Griffin, 1. I would be taken in by the police and interrogated for who knows how long about where I've been all these years, if they even believed me, 2. I would be deemed crazy or I would be arrested for claiming I was her… You know how people are here on Shuggazoom when it comes to the police. I was missing for six years; the authorities here are crazy."

Chiro nodded, a bit thoughtful. "It makes sense to me, I guess. Although… what did you think that would accomplish?"

Twilight only shrugged. "My plan was to get back to Shuggazoom. That's all. I figured that if I couldn't find you, I would just go by my new name, get a job… or just go back with Miranda. I have a life on Earth where I wouldn't be pretending. I wanted to find you, but it was hard considering you haven't apparently gone by your full name in years. It's like you were gone without a trace."

Everybody looked at Chiro then back at Twilight.

"His full name," Jinmay asked.

Chiro answered. "Ichirou Alexander Griffin… I haven't been called that in so long. Although, it's not that a lot of people remembered—"

"Wait, kid," Sprx interrupted, "So your name isn't Chiro?"

Both siblings shook there head.

"Chiro is Chiro," Twilight answered.

"That's really my name," Chiro added, "However; our parents would always call me that when they were really mad."

"Yeah," Twilight continued, "Chiro is derived from Ichirou. Kind of ironic, isn't it Chi?"

Chiro nodded.

"Why," Otto asked.

"Ichirou means hero," Twilight answered, "Although, we'd also call him Chi, Cheerio, etc… I like calling him Chi, but my second personal favorite is Ichigo."

Chiro groaned loudly in annoyance.

"What's so wrong with Ichigo," Jinmay asked.

Chiro's face instantly turned bright red. "I-It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing to me," Sprx said, laughing.

Antauri cleared his throat, gaining all attention. However, the smirk on his face clearly shown he was amused. "Thank you, Twilight. Does anyone else have any questions?"

"Tell us about yourself," Nova said.

"Here we go," Chiro muttered, sinking into his chair.

"I really like to sketch and anything really with my hands. I love to read and have a few novels back at my apartment and I really want to be a writer like our father. He was amazing. I like music too; I have hundreds of songs on my I-pod touch and I can sort of play some instruments."

"That's cool," Jinmay said, "I've also heard you're pretty smart, is that true?"

"I guess so… where have you heard that?"

"Chiro showed me the hideout in the park."

Twilight's eyes widened for a second before a smile spread onto her lips. "Oh, is that so?"

Chiro flinched at her Cheshire cat grin before hiding his face in embarrassment.

Everyone laughed at his expense.

Twilight shifted to hug her knees then asked, "So how'd you guys meet each other exactly?"

"Well, it was in September and everyone was getting out of school. I was having a bad day and I didn't feel like going back to the orphanage or anything so I decided to escape to the outskirts for a while—"

"Wait, hold up," Twilight interrupted, "You actually decided to head into the outskirts YOURSELF?"

Chiro nodded. "I came across the old apple field and one thing led to another…"

"Perhaps that story is best for another time," Antauri finished.

Twilight stood up and stretched. "Oh, well, I have to head back anyways; it's late, and frankly, I'm exhausted."

Chiro visibly tensed. Not again. He couldn't help but feel worried. Okay, he knew it was silly, but he had just, well, she had found him.

Twilight noticed this and said, "If you really want to know, I'm staying at the Lotus Blossom apartment building."

Chiro's nerves didn't really settle, but he masked this as he watched Twilight bid farewell to the others. _"Of all places," _he thought,_ "it just had to be downtown Shuggazoom."_ He silently sighed. _"Quit being such a ninny! I swear…"_

He came out of his thoughts when Twilight hugged him.

"I'll be fine," she whispered discreetly before slipping his a small white envelope. She then turned and grabbed her bag.

"I'll see you guys later," she said before heading towards the tube. Otto was ahead of her, leading the way. "Goodnight!"

With that, the two of them had disappeared.

Sprx yawned, interrupting the silence that had formed. "I'm thinking of calling it a night… See you guys later."

Before Chiro knew it, the room was almost empty, that is, except for Antauri and himself.

Chiro held in a yawn. "Um… well, goodnight, Tauri," Chiro said before attempting to head off. He didn't get very far.

"Chiro, may I talk to you one moment?"

Chiro paused and turned. "Yes?"

"I sense there's something troubling you. Perhaps it has to do with your sister's sudden appearance, am I wrong?"

Chiro didn't say anything.

Antauri frowned. "You know, Chiro, you can always come to me or any of us for anything."

"Yeah," Chiro said after a while, "I know."

"Your sister appears to be a very kind young lady," Antauri then commented.

Chiro gave a weak smile. "Yeah, she's always been like that…"

"She also appears very bright. I believe she's capable of handling herself."

"I know that… it's just…" Chiro paused. "You know what? Nevermind…"

Antauri floated around and up to the young leader.

"It's just what?"

Chiro didn't answer so Antauri continued.

"Do you have a hard time believing it's her?"

Chiro shook his head. "It's her… I can tell. It's just… it's just that it hurts seeing her."

Antauri blinked in confusion, but quickly regained composure. "Care to explain?"

Chiro gave a small sigh. "It's just that… we both used to be so close. We could always tell what the other was thinking; we could predict each others move… I guess Jinmay's theory about an extra sense for twins and such might not have been off… We had this bond, and well… After meeting Twilight again, it's like I'm facing a brick wall or something. The connection is gone and it's like there's nothing."

Antauri nodded. "I see. It hurts that you've grown to far apart."

"In a way, I guess," Chiro said. "Although, I guess it's nice, in a way. She is definitely more confident."

"True."

Chiro sighed once again. "I feel so stupid, though. I feel like I've let her down. It's just like—"

Antauri raised his hand, interrupting him. "Never doubt yourself or your abilities. Never doubt hers either. Both of you have grown and learned from your mistakes and sometimes it's best to start anew. Believe in your sister; I can tell she's strong and she believes in you. Return the favor."

Chiro smiled. Same old Antauri… "Thank you," Chiro said, "It really means a lot."

Antauri nodded.

"Well, I should head up to bed…"

"As should I… Goodnight, Chiro."

"Night, Tauri."

Once Chiro was sure he was alone, he walked to his own tube and leaned at the entrance to look at the slip of paper. A small chuckle escaped his lips.

On the note, written in tiny handwriting, was a phone number.

"Same old Twilight," he muttered.

With that, he disappeared up his orange tube and the last light was shut off.

* * *

><p>Destiny: Well, there you have it. Short, I know, but I'm nearly done with the next chapter. Please read and review. Remember cybernetic monkeys don't like it when you give them bananas. Oh, before I forget, I have a project in mind for when I'm done with my other stories and my two requests. Yes, I will take requests and I haven't forgotten. Stay tuned!<p>

Chiro: Um, Destiny?

Destiny: Yes Chiro?

Chiro: I just realized this, but you swore in the last chapter.

Destiny: O.O

Scythe: O.O *sniff* They grow up so fast! Ha-ha! *nudges Destiny* I'm rubbing off on you!

Destiny: You are not!

Chiro: Um… who's this guy, Dest?

Destiny: NO ONE!

Chiro: O.O

Scythe: XD


End file.
